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-   -   What do you store your fabric in and would you change it? (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/what-do-you-store-your-fabric-would-you-change-t105319.html)

grann of 6 03-07-2011 04:29 AM

1 Attachment(s)
Mine is in closets with bi-fold doors to keep the light out and the air circulating. I want everything closed up so it is neat looking. I had too many years of my fabric on open shelves getting fade lines in a north room with one window. No more light on my fabric if I can help it.

part of my stash
[ATTACH=CONFIG]116532[/ATTACH]

CarrieAnne 03-07-2011 04:50 AM

I use cardboard boxes and a few plastic totes. I would love a nice cabnit though!

Diane C. 03-07-2011 05:33 AM

Mine is stored in plastic tubs , totes and cardboard boxes.Ig I could have my choice I would like open shelves with doors or curtains etc. to keep out dust and light. Diane C.

fireworkslover 03-07-2011 06:46 AM

I've thought, in the past that having those wire drawers in stacks would be the way to go. But now, since I've discovered I really make a lot of quilts w/ pp, those small bits of fabric would fall out the spaces. So I guess I'll just stick with my covered tubs. It would be nice if my room was larger, so I wouldn't have to move my ironing board to get to some of the colors. I originally had the fabric sorted by value within each box, but no more. I have too much and so many different sized pieces in each box. I do find that having them divided by color is easiest for me.
I see people having their fabric wrapped on some sort of card and piled on a shelf - but the colors are all mixed up. That would be difficult for me, to have them like that.

deplaylady 03-07-2011 07:08 AM

2 Attachment(s)
I used to store mine in plastic totes on shelves in a large closet. I had them all organized with snips of the fabric on the outside that said how much yardage of each of the larger pieces and smaller bins organized by color. But - I found I wasn't using it because it became hard to lift the bins down off the shelves and open them (arthritis.) Things never got put back (so it was messy despite all the bins) and I found myself buying new material instead. Now I use wire baskets and shelves in a 36" wide tall cabinet and a cutting table with drawers that holds fabric folded on little bolts. It holds the same as 20 linear feet of bookshelves - plus it has a large drawer that currently holds 2 crib sized & 2 queen sized warm and natural battings. That and a few other baskets are working very nicely for me - I know were everything, I can see what I am looking for without opening and lifting.

Right side - fat quarters
[ATTACH=CONFIG]122007[/ATTACH]

Flannels - double rows - I love flannels!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]122128[/ATTACH]

DA Mayer 03-07-2011 07:15 AM


Originally Posted by deplaylady
I used to store mine in plastic totes on shelves in a large closet. I had them all organized with snips of the fabric on the outside that said how much yardage of each of the larger pieces and smaller bins organized by color. But - I found I wasn't using it because it became hard to lift the bins down off the shelves and open them (arthritis.) Things never got put back (so it was messy despite all the bins) and I found myself buying new material instead. Now I use wire baskets and shelves in a 36" wide tall cabinet and a cutting table with drawers that holds fabric folded on little bolts. It holds the same as 20 linear feet of bookshelves - plus it has a large drawer that currently holds 2 crib sized & 2 queen sized warm and natural battings. That and a few other baskets are working very nicely for me - I know were everything, I can see what I am looking for without opening and lifting.

That looks so neat and easy to get at.

pieces 03-07-2011 07:48 AM

I have wire bins in my sewing room closet my husband purchased from Lowes. They were easy to install and reasonably priced.
My fabrics don't get any light so no fading.
They are sturdy and will last a lifetime.
They are easy to see into so I can pull out the bin with the color of fabric I am looking for.
And most important of all my fabric can breath.
I would not trade them for anything, I am totally
satisfied with them.

illinois 03-07-2011 07:59 AM

I have 2 Sauder cupboards. The widest one is a wardrobe and I can sort colors into plastic tubs that fit perfectly on the shelves. There is one all the way across the top and shorter ones down one side. The tubs can be taken out to look for the 'perfect' piece. I wish there were shelves on both sides but it works well as the stash builds! At one time there were free tape measures in bags of batting so I glued one to the edge of the top shelf so I can easily measure pieces of fabric without taking them to the cutting table. I like that the solid doors protect the fabrics from light and that they don't reveal the mess that can happen in there.

ShirlinAZ 03-07-2011 08:11 AM

If I could have anything I want to store my fabric, I'd have cabinets like yours and I would stack some of them floor to ceiling. I wouldn't want a 24" deep cabinet of any kind because too much would get shoved to the back and never seen again. I used to design kitchens for one of the big home improvement stores and learned how to "work" cabinets. I'd build a toe kick base for a wall cabinet to sit on, then stack more wall cabinets in the configuration that would fit in my room. You can buy veneer panels to put on the sides that will make them look like one cabinet.

qltncat 03-07-2011 08:57 AM

2 Attachment(s)
I use 2 lateral file cabinets that I picked up when an office closed. They were filled with hanging file folders. I ironed my fabric, folded it lengthwise in half, and wound it around the files, as if they were bolts. I secured the top with long rubber bands. I can "wind" up to 4 yards of cotton fabric and still close the drawers!

This works like a charm. I can see the fabric at a glance, and it stays neatly waiting for me! Since the drawers close, sunlight is not a problem.

For smaller pieces (fat quarters, etc.) I use see-through bins.


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